The Mystery of the Disappearing Authors
by Jennifer Wilson
Summary: All of the Sherlock Holmes writers go missing. It's up to Maggie Tan and Mary Watson to get to the bottom of this mystery!
1. A wish goes wrong

Disclaimer: I do not own Dr. John H. Watson. He belongs to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

* * *

Adeline Chai was in her study, typing the last of her Sherlock Holmes mystery fanfiction. It took five days and four hours to think of it, let alone write it down. But at last, it was finished. It was not seven o'clock yet, and she was bored. She decided to write her Chinese composition. Since it was a free topic essay, she wrote about her job as a freelance writing and about her essays. It was a three hundred character essay. Adeline wrote her Chinese name down and, feeling mischievous, wrote down the following words in Chinese with an alcohol based invisible ink:

"I wish I could meet the other Sherlock Holmes fanfiction writers!"

Just as she wrote the last stroke, a white light emitted from the large computer screen. It swallowed Adeline, and she could see nothing else.

At that same instance, all the other Sherlock Holmes fanfiction writers disappeared. Except, for two people, Mary Morstan Watson the last descendant of Dr. John H. Watson M. D.; and Maggie Tan, a common Chinese citizen.

* * *

Mary was had been banned from the computer and the internet. It was part of being punished for not choosing medicine as one of her classes. That day, her father George Aloysius Watson had so _clearly_ claimed that all Watsons must have the prefix Dr. They could either be a doctor, a forensic pathologist or gained a Ph. D, but she had chosen something very different. She had chosen to become a police detective. Her mother persuaded her and even banned her from the many things she loved. It was only when her father threatened to disown her did she finally considered giving up detection as a career.

She loved her uncle James, that sweet, amiable man who was always ready to help. She could not stand being disowned and allowing her uncle to not acknowledge her. Deep down inside her heart, he was the only one she loved. It was the accident at her uncle's house that made her free to choose.

It was the reunion of the Watsons and Mary had not been able attend due to a class. A fire had broken out in the middle of the party and everyone had been burned to death. Even her uncle was not spared. His charred body could not been found. The court had ruled it as an accident, but Mary had not been so sure. She found matches and some traces of an accelerant but the police thought the matches were for lighting the candles to commemorate the event and that the accelerant was baking powder, but Mary knew that there weren't any candles prepared at all. The police refused to open the case any longer and Mary was the last Watson alive.

Her weird middle name was due to her ancestor's surname being Mary Morstan. It was common for her mother's family, the Smiths to name their children after their ancestors and her mother had loved Holmes stories. That love had passed onto Mary, and she was a fan fiction writer who could not access the internet in memory of her mother.

It was therefore on that tragic day on the 25th of October, when the news had reported the disappearance of various people. They had nothing in common. It was this time, Mary had decided, to come into the world as an amateur private detective.

She used her inheritance to travel to some of the victim's homes. Among those, she could only learn that each of them were fanfiction writers who write Sherlock Holmes fanfiction. She at last got her lead when she traveled to Adeline Chai's home in Singapore. Adeline was also a fanfiction writer too, but there was something that told Mary that she had found the correct scent. She investigated the crime scene, and found a complete Chinese composition. The police had overlooked it, saw that it was unimportant, but Mary saw it as a vital piece of information. Under ultraviolet light, she saw some Chinese words. With the help of the bereaved mother, she found her first clue. It was the direct translation of "I wished I could meet the other Sherlock Holmes fanfiction writers".

Mary was excited at this new piece of information. What better to meet the others if they were gathered at a spot? Then, she questioned the father about his hereditary skill. The father was hesitant at first, but after reassurances had been given, he whispered into her ear one of the most astonishing things she had ever heard. He and Adeline were one of the last descendants of the First Emperor of China. The pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place.

Adeline wanted to meet the writers. She had made a wish in invisible ink. She was the last generation who had the Emperor as an ancestor. The emperor was rumored to have strange powers beyond the laws of science and she had unintentionally invoked it. The other writers had been Sherlock Holmes fanfiction writers too. The only question she had to solve is why she was still left on earth.

* * *

A/N: Done! By the way, I am a Chinese girl too, so I know about having to write Chinese compositions. It's more annoying that writing a fanfiction about Professor James Moriarty, something that smarts badly.

As for Mary, my family has a strange habit of naming their daughters after their ancestors.

I have a strange things about Chinese Compositions. Everytime I write in Chinese, it comes true. I just hope that my latest one doesn't come true as it is about an evil person who takes over the world!


	2. Meeting the last author besides her

Having found whatever that was there, she went to China, home of the last Sherlock Holmes fanfiction writer besides her. There, she got into a slightly bit of trouble with the authorities.

She had brought chocolate in her luggage. It had melted, and because only 100ml of liquid was allowed in the airport, the officers in charge refused to let her in. It was no use explaining to them as they could not understand English and she knew very little Chinese. It was only when one of the officers fetched his sister was she cleared.

It ran in this way. The officers in charge were arguing whether to let her in when one of them remembered that his sister could speak English. She was near a pillar and was dragged from her position by the agitated officer. Mary explained to her the situation.

"Miss Watson, as your passport says. You had got into trouble as the chocolate in your bag had melted. I'll tell my brother." She whispered into her brother's ear. Mary could hear snatches of "Spare her" among the quiet conversation. They had finally ended by the brother lifting the gate.

"What is your name?" She asked the woman who had got her out of trouble. "Maggie Tan, Miss Watson." She meekly replied. Mary's eyes went as round as saucers.

"You are the one whom I am looking for! Come; is there a safe place to talk?" She asked Maggie. The latter looked around and found the female toilet for officials. She led her into it.

"You and I are the only Sherlock Holmes fanfiction writers left." Mary casually told her. Maggie Tan nodded. "I saw it in the news."

"So what is different between us and those writers who disappeared?" Mary asked. "I don't know. I wish I had my computer back, I need it to surf the web. It's stuck at the repair shop but every technician that attends to it disappears!" Maggie said.

"That's it!"

"What?"

"The only reason why we have not disappeared yet is because we are not connected to the internet. In every house I visited, the computer was always on when they disappeared, and your computer is being repaired. My classmate, Pearl, helps me load it onto the internet. Come to think of it, Pearl had also disappeared too, even though I did not know, because she is a writer too! We need access to a computer at once!"

"Wait, we need a plan. We can't just go there at once and disappear ourselves. Do you know any of the writer's hand phone numbers?" Maggie asked.

Mary thought for a while and then smiled. "One of them is AC12. She's my pen pal. She always brings her phone everywhere, even to sleep. I'll call her now."

Adeline stared at her surroundings. It was misty and unclear. Dark figures flitted across the screen of white smoke. Then a voice spoke.

"Who are you?" It asked. Adeline replied back. "I'm Victoria Doyle, but you can call me Vicky. Follow the sound of my voice." Adeline stepped through the mist. There were several other people. Some were dressed in their night clothes while others were dressed in casual wear. They were talking among themselves when they caught sight of her.

"As you already know, I'm Vicky. This is Mace, also known as Mark Sherlock Adams; Laura, Jennifer Wilson. The rest of us are Sherlock Holmes fanfiction writers as well. Are you a writer as well?" A tall, gangling girl spoke. She was a blond, with sky blue eyes, a button nose and delicate lips. She was dressed in a spotted nightgown.

Adeline nodded; her heart thrilling with excitement. "You know me online as AC12. So, is every one of us here?" She asked. "No, Q World and the second half of Pearl-Chan have not arrived yet. Do you know this place?" Vicky asked. The writers shook their heads.

_Flashback_

_Adeline was in a deep comma. All of her family members were worried about her after she was knocked down by a car. _

_She was walking through a mist. Everything here was so strange, yet so peaceful. Adeline felt that she wanted to stay here, forever. But the sound of her father's voice persuaded her to leave this land of mist._

_End of Flashback_

"Yes, during a comma once. The way I got out was following my father's voice. I think I had better explain this to you. I made a wish to meet all of you guys. I wrote it in Chinese in invisible ink, so that my mum wouldn't see. Then a bright light from the screen swallowed me up." Adeline replied. The rest glared angrily at her.

"So you're the one who got us into this mess!" Several of them roared. Adeline was about to escape when her hand phone conveniently rang.


	3. Enter Sherlock Holmes

"Hello?" Adeline picked up her phone.

"It's MMW. Where are you?"

"In a void which I been for, about to be attacked by angry authors, where else!"

"How did you get there the first time?"

"Through my father's voice."

"Okay, I will try to get you and the author's back. Bye!"

"Bye!" Adeline hanged up on the phone. "My friend MMW is going to get us out of here, so don't worry; other that this fog is there anything else in this place?"

Mace was about to reply when they heard voices. "Is it your friend?" Vicky asked. Mace and Adeline shook their heads. "No, these are male voices." he replied.

"Next time, Holmes, I will never follow one of your shortcuts again." One of them said. They emerged from the mist. The one which was talking was a man dressed in Victorian clothes. He had a small mustache, blue-gray eyes and a bowler hat. The other was a tall fellow, with grey piercing eyes, a hawk-like nose and dressed in opera clothes. It was Sherlock Holmes.

Some of the authors screamed. Vicky was stupefied, Mark was shocked, Adeline was about to burst out with laughter. Only Jennifer kept her cool. Holmes looked around in wonder. "Where is this place?" he asked.

"This is AC12's subconscious, and we are trapped in here. We are all fan-fiction writers." Jennifer answered coolly. The rest of them rushed at Holmes.

Oh dear, trouble.

Mary put down her phone." We need Mr. Chai." She announced to Maggie. Maggie looked stunned. "Why?" She asked.

"According to AC12, it was through her father did she get out. It seems that only he can get them out. When's the next flight to Singapore?"

"The schedule says that its ten minutes till the next fight. I have some extra clothes in my backpack."

"Come, Maggie, the game is afoot!" Mary led her new companion into the crowd.

"Mr. Chai, can you help us find your daughter?" Mary asked the man in front of her. Mr. Chai shook his head. He said that he already gave all his information to the police. "Please, Mr. Chai. We know you can. You did the same thing when Adeline was unconscious!" Maggie begged. Mr. Chai's jaw dropped. "Do you mean to say she's inside her subconscious?" he asked suspiciously. Mary explained that this was only just a suggestion. "We might try the Escape Ritual, but I need someone to travel inside and bring her back…" he started but Mary interrupted.

"I'll go and don't try to stop me, Maggie. Adeline and Pearl are my friends and I must rescue all of the writers." She said confidently. "Then I will go with you." Maggie replied. Mary tried to protest but Mr. Chai had already given two pendants to them. "Use this to bring your friends back." He said. Both of them nodded. Maggie booted up the system and they logged onto the Internet. In a flash of bright light, both of them disappeared.


	4. Epilogue

Holmes was being tightly bound by fanfiction writers. Mark, Jennifer and Watson were trying their best to peel them off, but they gave up in despair. There were too many girls for them to succeed. "Help me, Watson!" Holmes screeched, trying to pull a writer off his shirt.

There was a sudden flash and two girls appeared. Adeline jumped off Holmes's leg and waved at them. "MMW, finally; I thought I'd lost contact with you." The said girl and her friend emerged from the mist. She was a tall, slender thing with bright blue eyes and blond hair. She had a soft nose and a delicate mouth. Watson blinked in surprise. "Mary, is that you?" He asked in hope. "My name is Mary, but it isn't your Mary. It's Mary Morstan Watson, and that is my friend and assistant Maggie Tan. We are here to rescue you." The girl said. The writers looked at her in surprise. "But I thought…" One of the writers began but Vicky cut her off.

"It's true. Dr. Watson and Mr. Holmes did exist. My great-great grandfather Sir Arthur Conan Doyle rewrote the drafts that Dr. Watson sent to him. In fact, our families have been feuding for a long time about the ownership of the copyrights. But I thought it had finally ended when my uncle, Adrian burned the house with the Watsons inside under my orders. There wasn't supposed to be any Watsons left." Vicky explained, with a cold look in her eyes.

"So you are the one who was responsible for the eradication of my clan. You are the one who murdered my parents!" Mary screamed out. She rushed to get her hands around Vicky's throat but Maggie dragged her back. "Mary, we have to get all these authors homes. Stand in a circle everyone!" She ordered them. She grabbed the pendant and they all disappeared.

Mary and Maggie landed in Mr. Chai's house. Adeline was looking at Mary in astonishment. "So you are Dr. Watson's descendant? But where did his son go to?" She looked expectantly, waiting for an answer.

" David Watson went to boarding school while his father stayed at Baker Street. He was a top lawyer and so passed down it to his descendants."She replied, then turned to Mr. Chai.

"Make sure she controls her powers. I do not want it to happen again."She whispered. Mr. Chai nodded and she turned towards the door. "By the way, Maggie, would you like to come with me to America?" She asked. Maggie shook her head. "You forgot that I'm still translater to the Chinese officers. I'll go back to my brother's" The two of them marched out of the door, hand in hand.

"How are you going to get your evidence against Vicky?" Maggie asked. Mary smiled, and then held up a tape recorder.

_"I thought it had finally ended when my uncle, Adrian burned the house with the Watsons insed under my orders. There wasn't suppose to be any Watsons left_." It recited loudly. Maggie stared at her in amazement. "But how..." She started, but Mary cut her off.

"Since Adeline's handphone worked, I thought I could bring this along too. I have long suspected Victoria Doyle to be guilty, the matches were undeniably from her district. I just needed the evidence."

"You... you..., oh, I give up! You are sometimes too smart for my taste!"She complained loudly. Mary laughed at her annoyance.

"That's who I am, silly old girl!" She walked away.


End file.
